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A joint parliamentary inquiry has been launched by the Education Committee and the Health and Social Care Committee to examine the availability and effectiveness of mental health support for children and young people up to the age of 25.
The cross-party inquiry will assess the range of support currently available across community, health and education settings and consider how these services interact with specialist provision, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The review will also examine support available throughout the education system, with particular focus on provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
As part of the inquiry, MPs will explore potential reforms to specialist mental health services and evaluate whether alternative community-based support models, including the government’s proposed Young Futures Hubs, could improve access to care. The committees will also examine how mental health provision is integrated with services delivered through the National Health Service.
The inquiry follows growing concern about the scale of mental health need among young people. NHS data published in 2023 indicated that approximately one in five children and young people aged between eight and 25 were experiencing a probable mental health disorder. The committees will investigate the underlying factors contributing to increasing levels of mental health need, as well as the impact on educational outcomes, career prospects and workplace wellbeing.
MPs will also scrutinise the implementation of existing government policy commitments, including plans to expand Mental Health Support Teams to all schools in England by the 2029/30 academic year. The inquiry will examine how these initiatives align with wider government strategies, including the 10 Year Health Plan, the Independent Review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, and the National Youth Strategy.
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The role of education staff in supporting pupils’ mental health will form a further strand of the inquiry. MPs will consider whether teachers and other education professionals are receiving adequate training and support to meet increasing levels of need, and will assess whether current inspection and regulatory frameworks operated by Ofsted, alongside guidance issued by the Department for Education, facilitate or create barriers to effective mental health provision in educational settings.
Helen Hayes, Chair of the Education Committee, said the inquiry would examine mental health support throughout a young person’s education, from early years through to higher education, and would assess the role of schools and colleges in responding to mental health needs. She highlighted concerns that children with special educational needs or those with experience of the care system are disproportionately affected by gaps in provision.
Layla Moran, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said families and education leaders frequently experience difficulties navigating fragmented mental health services, which often result in support only being provided when needs reach crisis level. She noted that similar concerns were identified in a previous committee inquiry in 2021, particularly regarding the need for stronger preventative and early intervention approaches.
The committees are inviting written evidence from professionals, organisations and individuals working with or supporting children and young people, with the findings expected to inform future government policy on mental health service provision and cross-sector coordination.
